This is all thanks to Maddie’s Fund, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of companion animals. They give a rescue or shelter from $500 to $2000 per dog or cat adopted during Maddie’s Days, the nation’s largest free adoption event. Those funds allow for the care and rehabilitation of pets who might otherwise be euthanized.

Maddie’s Fund has set a goal of 10,000 adoptions during this year’s Maddie’s Days.

A special event called “Rescue Row” will be held in San Francisco on Alabama Street, between 15th and 16th Streets. The event will feature food trucks, a beer garden, music and of course, adoptions! The San Francisco SPCA, Muttville Senior Dog Rescue, Northern California Family Dog Rescue and San Francisco Animal Care and Control, among others, will all be on hand with adoptable dogs and cats.

We at Yellow Dog Blog are huge fans of legitimate, hard-working rescue groups. After all, a Bay Area rescue saved Yellow Dog and Sundown!

But it is heartbreaking to know not all dogs are so lucky. In fact, roughly 9,000 innocent animals are put to sleep every day across the U.S. simply because there aren’t enough people willing or able to adopt. So we’ve launched a new series on YDB highlighting rescue groups in California, the Rescue Me series.

We start with Pug Rescue of Sacramento, or PROS. PROS was founded in the early 1990s when Sacramento breeder Marianne Herzberg-Stanley found many pugs in need of homes. PROS was incorporated as a non-profit in 1996 and since then, they’ve rescued thousands of pugs, taking in more than 100 dogs a year.

Two pugs greet a visitor at a PROS adoption event at Pet Food Express in Benicia.

PROS President Jan Grover has been working with the organization for 12 years, including three as president. She says the pug breed is special.

“Pugs are very oriented towards people,” Grover says. “They especially enjoy being around their own breed. At pug events, it’s like meeting a long-lost cousin.”

Dedicated volunteer and Dublin resident Elena Temples got involved with PROS more than ten years ago when she took her first pug puppy to Pug Sunday at Heather Farms Park in Walnut Creek.

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DISCLAIMER: Yellow Dog Blog is not a veterinary site nor is it meant to diagnose your canine companion’s medical or behavioral conditions. ALWAYS consult a veterinarian if you have questions or concerns about your pet’s health or behavior.